Czech Republic

Jiri Klůc

Jiri Klůc | Photo: Körber-Stiftung

"Incredibly brave” (2016)

In October 2016, twenty-four award winners from EUSTORY competitions met at a History Camp in Georgia. For this occasion they prepared posters about their projects and findings which were displayed in the National History Museum in Tbilisi.

My competition entry was about a photo which was taken in 1943 on the Eastern front during the Second World War. It shows three soldiers and the Soviet tank T-34/76 after the liberation of the Ukrainian capital Kiev.My work has three chapters: First, the life story of the three soldiers – Richard Tesarik, Josef Bursik and Antonin Sochor. Second, the tank T-34 called „Lidice“ and thirdly, I wrote a short story about the photographer Kurt Biheller.

How did you decide on your topic?I took unknown photo and I wanted to know more about this photo which is connected to the history of my country. I wanted to know more about the people in the picture and the story of the photographer.

How did you react when you came upon surprising points during your research?It was really a surprise for me when I found some unknown facts about the history of my country. I was really grateful that I could help historians with their research.